Time's End
by RandomButLoved
Summary: She was excited for a Carnival that did not exist, dancing through the streets of an illusion. The remnants of an unknown demonic spirit, a monster who had caused havoc among Hyrule in a forgotten time, had made it into the Era of Peace and attacked Hyrule's Princess; forcing her to endure a painless sanctuary that were mere images in her mind. Can one act of hope dare to free her?


_**Author's Note:**_ All right, I don't know what this is, but I am going to treat this as a writing prompt to help me get back into writing properly. I have been obsessing over Majora's Mask in the past few days, and the idea of having Zelda in Termina just came to me. Please, I beg of you, don't treat this like a proper story because it isn't. I just want to see what you think of it, and I know fully well that it isn't all that good; I would just like to know what you think.

_"Shadow and light are two sides of the same coin... One cannot exist without the other."_

~Princess Zelda, Twilight Princess~

Time's End

_An Ocarina of Time FanFiction_

She had awoken like it was any other day. Blearily blinking her eyes open, the sunlight streamed into her room. It filtered in through the slightly ajar wooden blinds over the small window opposite her, warming up the room as the shafts of light fell against the wooden floor boards beneath her. The thin sheets only half covered her body, the other half dangling off of the bed frame and against the floor softly. Rubbing at her eyes, she rose up into a seated position, the sudden chill of no longer being in bed sending bumps across her skin.

Blinking a few more times, she swung her legs over the bed and scanned the room. The embers of the fire off to her right were still present from the night before, the tickling of the clock on the chimney breast across the room swaying in a clockwise fashion. Smiling softly, she threw herself onto her feet and over to the window; twisting the wooden stick connecting to the window until the shutters opened fully. She winced at the sudden flood of sunlight, though soon adjusted before resting her arms on the window sill and leaning out.

People were rushing about East Clock Town even at that time in the morning, which seemed to be around eleven o'clock. The flurry of moving umbrellas across the courtyard beneath her was almost amusing to look at, baskets of food and clothing (both wet and dry) almost floating since the people underneath could not be seen. The light grey clouds churned in the skies above her, releasing thousands of droplets of rain that pattered against the cobbles, the light rainfall calming and soothing to hear.

Even while it rained, children danced underneath the canopy of water like it was not there, finding that it was much more fun to play in the rain over the gorgeous sunny days that Termina seemed to uphold across the year. Over the wall surrounding the entirely of Clock Town stood the rest of Termina in its shining glory, the mountains of Ikana dominating over the entire horizon and fighting off the Woodfall and Snowhead Provinces too. It was strange to see such shadows forever drape over Ikana Canyon, though it seemed that it was fitting for such a place.

Upon hearing a soft knock at the door, she pulled her head back inside and turned to discover a young woman softly pushing the door open. "Oh!" The woman smiled in realisation. "Zelda, my dear, it seems that you have awoken all ready. I was just coming to see whether you were awake or not." Anju, Zelda realised, stepped into the room and clicked the door shut behind her. "It was such a nice day, and I didn't think that you would want to miss it. You had always said how much you enjoyed the rain, after all..."

"Thank-you, Anju." Zelda replied sweetly, stepping away from the window. "Have you heard any word on Kafei?"

Anju felt her eyes fall to the floor, the rain against the roof making her ever so slightly paranoid. "N-No..." She stuttered. "Mother wishes for Grandmother and I to leave to Romani Ranch before the day of our Unity, but the time for the Carnival will bring in enough money to help us and... I don't think that I can leave without him being beside me." Zelda's face softened, recalling just how close Anju and Kafei were. It seemed that they would marry on the day of the Carnival of Time tomorrow, although Kafei was missing and had been for a few weeks now. Who knew were he would be at such a time?

Zelda crossed the room to embrace her friend, the two of them holding each other for a few moments. "I am sure that he will return soon. Kafei is better than to leave you in such a state, especially before your Unity..." She comforted. The two of them moved apart, both feeling the same amount of overwhelming sadness over the situation at hand. She took Anju's hand and passed her a look of reassurance. "Everything will be well for your Unity, Anju, I promise." Anju's face seemed to brighten a little, although there still was a shadow of regret and love in her eyes.

"Oh!" Anju suddenly gasped, pulling away from Zelda. "I'm sorry. I should leave you to get ready. I don't want to keep you from getting your preparations for the Carnival of Time. You haven't even gotten your mask yet!" Anju was out of the room before Zelda could say a single word, the door closing swiftly behind the woman. Zelda stood in the centre of the room, almost speechless at the suddenness of the conversation she had with Anju. Within minutes of this, however, she soon shook herself out of this daze and proceeded to dress herself.

She began too, though was soon halted by a sudden voice speaking on the other side of the wall beside the fire, one that sounded familiar to her. Zelda, ignoring the clothes that were hung over her chair beside a small table, hugged herself against the quite hallow wall; pressing her ear against it and focused deeply on the voice. _"She has been lost for days, and we are all losing hope. None of the Sages have the power to break this curse, and we have the strongest mages in Hyrule."_ Something twitched at the back of Zelda's mind, begging to be free, but it was soon lost as the voice continued. _"Even as the Sage of Shadow, I can do nothing. The people need their leader, both people of Hyrule and Sages alike, and we can't lose her... not like this."_

Intrigued by what she was suddenly hearing, Zelda pushed herself to listen solely to the voices and block out the activity in Clock Town below. _"It will be all right, Impa."_ Another voice interjected. _Impa...?_ The name was familiar to her, although her mind could merely brush the thought before it disappeared again. _"There's only one last idea that we haven't tried yet..."_ Their voices dimmed so much that Zelda could not hear them, however "Impa"'s response was more than enough for her to realise that this proposed plan was bad.

"_You can't do that, Link."_ The name sparked something inside of her, more than Impa's name. _"Wisdom is the most effective when it comes to telepathy, not Courage. Courage, while has some form of connection to Wisdom, cannot perform telepathy for a long time."_ Impa sighed deeply. _"And, you may find that you could lose yourself to the curse too..."_ The voices continued to converse without hesitation, their tones lost to Zelda's mind, yet still laced with concern. However, the one name that resonated throughout her mind forced her out of her room and into the one next to her, a grin on her face.

"Link, I—!" Her voice died as she shoved open the door into the room, her face and shoulders slumping when she came to realise that not a single soul was in the room. No presences stood in the room, leaving Zelda perplexed and alone as she stared at the empty room. Her lips parted, her desperation to see someone that she knew clinging to her heart now cracked and desolate as the room. She soon forced herself into movement and softly pulled the door too, returning to her own room. Brushing her hand across the wall, she dressed into a white shirt, the sleeves bunched up at her elbows, and a deep blue skirt that was decorated with numerous designs at the hem.

She moved around like a puppet, a marionette, unable to overcome what she was so close to being a part of only minutes ago. The thought of seeing someone that she had not come to contact with for months was enough to make her heart skip more than a few beats, and for it to all come crashing down like the moon itself was enough to slice her mirthful mood. Turning the shutters so that the rain could not invade her room, Zelda turned away and back to the door. Her eyes flickered up to three dolls on one of the shelves, ones that she had not put there herself, of a Deku Scrub, Goron warrior, and Zora hero.

Something else triggered at the back of her mind, but nothing else.

Before anything else could happen, Zelda left the Stock Pot Inn (the Inn that she had been staying in for a few months now) and decided to explore Clock Town for all that it was worth. South Clock Town, especially around the time of the Carnival of Time, was buzzing with activity, even more than East Clock Town with rain. As Zelda adjusted the umbrella resting against her shoulder, she took the time to take in the sights that she had become accustomed to over the time she has spent in Clock Town entirely. The tall buildings towered high over her, even more than the walls surrounding the Town fully.

Nonetheless, children and adults alike dashed about the grounds in order to go about their daily business; whether it be planned or not. A content smile creased Zelda's complexion as she swung past a group of children (known as the "Bomber Gang") who dashed away from each other in some form of tag game, most of them being knocked down to the floor in a fit of laughter despite the rain hammering much heavier than before. She shook her head lightly, allowing her ears to pick up even the slightest sounds.

The clanging of tools from above her, the Carpenters of the Town determined to complete a bridge to the famous Clock Tower before the Carnival, to the birds singing from their perches all across Clock Town. Whatever sound it was seemed to be music to her ears. Excitement bubbled at the pit of her stomach, unable to cope with the wait for the Carnival of Time. Ever since she was a child, the prospect of attending an event like this was almost like a dream, so to experience something like this now was almost too much to bear. The Carnival was said to celebrate the four Deities of Termina, and to pray for a good harvest in the next year.

Anyone going to the Carnival, which was on Midsummer's Day each year, would wear masks to follow the age-old traditions of the country, and to charm the children too. Zelda turned to the Clock Tower, by far the tallest structure in Clock Town. The gigantic clock rotated on the front of the structure, counting down the remaining hours until the Carnival of Time itself. It was said that on the night of the Carnival, the way to the summit of the colossal structure would be opened.

Very few had ever witnessed this, as it would open at midnight and only for a short time, however Zelda was more than determined to see the fantastic fireworks and this strange happening for herself.

Her entire thought process was cut short, however, when she heard a voice echo throughout her mind. _"Link, don't you—!"_ This voice, one that sounded like Impa's, called, only to be cut off by something. Zelda staggered backwards at the sudden sound, questioning what it was instantly. They sounded angry at first, though there was a large portion of fear stitched into their tone. However, something seemed to blur when Zelda reopened her eyes and looked up towards the sky above. The rain automatically collided with her pale skin, although she barely noticed it as her eyes locked on to something in the sky.

A spot in the sky, just below the burning sun, seemed to be a crack like a mirror.

The clouds soon covered the strange crack, and so too Zelda's confusion over such a happening. She soon cast her eyes back down onto South Clock Town and proceeded onward, waving to the Carpenters as she passed by them. Her main priority, though, was to find some form of mask for the Carnival, wanting to take part in as much of the event as possible. Her brain was awash with ideas on what sort of mask she could wear, and which Deity she wanted to pray to and honour first, yet even those thoughts were cut short abruptly when she heard a voice from behind her.

"Princess?" The voice was extremely familiar, and it was that and not the title that forced her to whirl around; hope rising in her chest. The rain seemed to slow a little as she turned, watching as a figure slipped out of the base of the Clock Tower itself, the doors forced open with effort. Zelda did not recognise the figure at first, but it didn't take her long to recognise the Kokiri styled garments that they wore. Dropping her means of shelter against the rain, Zelda rushed towards the figure, the umbrella lying forgotten on the cobbles.

"Link!" She cried, lunging forwards and wrapping her arms around his neck. He stumbled backwards in alarm, wondering why she was being so forward to one that she only knew because of his deeds to Hyrule. He fell back against the wall of the Tower, unsure of whether to return the embrace or not. He soon settled with assessing the situation, knowing that Zelda would be oblivious to what was actually happening in reality. "It's been months! I thought that you wouldn't get here in time for the Carnival."

When he finally pulled away from her, Link soon realised that he was in no other place than Termina, the land that time literally forgot and he was the only person who had entered it. To Zelda, it was confusing to see such a reaction from her friend, though to Link it was even worse. Something had happened to the Princess, locking her into a sleep that she could not wake from, nor anyone else for that matter. He had taken a risk to free her, and he knew straight away that it would take all that he had to do it. "Princess, I..."

She cut him off with a giggle. "Stop with this "Princess" nonsense, Link!" She laughed good naturedly. "You know more than I do that I am not royalty. I always told you how I wanted to be one, but that was childish and never exists. What's gotten into you lately?" Link moved around to take the umbrella back into her grasp, to which she thanked him kindly, and could not find some form of response. "It doesn't matter." She continued. "We need to get ready for the Carnival. You probably haven't even gotten a mask yet, have you?"

"I..."

She huffed loudly, the "Princess" matter now lost to her as she suddenly took his hand into hers, smiling broadly. Something inside of Link cracked, knowing that she had all ready lost such a large portion of her existence to this, and restoring that was going to be hard. "I'm not surprised." Her smile continued to grow. "Well, ironically enough, I don't have one either, so I suppose we could go and get some together." He couldn't even start to respond before she tugged him underneath the umbrella and pulled him along. "We can't lose any more time!"

Link sighed, though allowed her to drag him across Clock Town. _And neither can I..._

* * *

><p>By the time that the final day before the Carnival of Time came around, both Link and Zelda were on completely contrasting emotions. While Zelda was bursting with excitement and happy anticipation over what the Carnival would entail, Link could not help but allow himself to be overcome with guilt and sorrow. He should have attempted to break the curse straight away, and yet he permitted himself to spend an entire day in this torrent of "reality" as well as convince Zelda that everything was well. Concealing his emotions was almost as difficult as breaking the curse itself.<p>

Across Clock Town during this time, both of them had noticed tiny fragments that resembled a broken mirror, however these cracks were not physical and not embedded into objects. They held the illusion of this, though it was a key sign that something had altered in the curse. They had grown in quantity but not size, and neither of them could understand fully what they would fully lead to in the very near future. Especially to Link, who only saw the "Dawn of Day Four" once on the day that Majora was defeated.

He shuddered at the thought of what could occur that time.

As the full moon rose into the purple fabric of night, the two of them sat in Zelda's room deep in the Stock Pot Inn. As the sun had began to set, she had felt symptoms of weakness and sickness, therefore allowed herself to retire to bed so long as she was awoken before the fireworks were to be set off and the way leading up to the top of the Clock Tower was to be revealed. She had fallen into a fit of slumber near instantly, still unknowing of what those symptoms could mean.

During this time, Link allowed himself to explore Clock Town further. He had, recalling all of the things to do in Clock Town after his previous "visit" to Termina, returned to the Great Fairy Fountain in North Clock Town. And, much to his prayers to the Three, discovered that the Great Fairy was still present and unbroken. She had somehow managed to become a form of energy that counteracted against the curse, bestowing upon him the Great Fairy's Sword and clarifying that making his way to the top of the Tower when the moon reached its zenith would force the darkness to appear so he could cleave it.

So, as Zelda slept, he stood in South Clock Town where he managed to somehow appear inside of the curse's illusion. Nonetheless, his clouded thoughts could not get to him as the moon ever so slowly pulled itself towards the highest point in the sky. The stars twinkled down in reassurance, not that it did all that much, while the residents of Clock Town had retired to their own homes and rooms before the Carnival of Time began; just like last time. The haunting thoughts of Skull Kid and the moon could not be banished, forever there in the back of his mind.

Everything was just as it was to Link, however there was no Tatl, there was no Skull Kid, and there was no nefarious Mask. And yet, things were all too peaceful for a curse. Link simply kept praying that creating this telepathic connection to Zelda was enough to purge the curse set upon her. She had fallen into her sleep not long after she had been to the Shadow Temple with Impa, the Sage of Shadow. Impa explained once the curse had took place that some remnants of an unknown demonic spirit, a monster who had caused havoc among Hyrule in a forgotten time, had made it into the Era of Peace and attacked Hyrule's Princess.

And that was how all of this had happened, leaving all of this pain behind.

A toll of a bell had scared him out of his wits, silencing all of his thoughts at once. He snapped his head up, realising that the moon was right above him – apparently meaning that recollecting such thoughts meant that the moon could catch up to the present with him. Within seconds, explosions of colour radiated across the midnight sky, signalling the beginning of the Carnival of Time. Mixes of primary and secondary colour reigned supreme, but it could not take away from the sudden jerking of wood that reached Link's ears.

His eyes found the Clock Tower, watching intently as a set of steps appeared before his very eyes. His cast his eyes down to the Mask of Truth beside him, the one that he had bought with Zelda (who head bought the Keaton Mask) to follow with her fantasies, recounting the harsh memories that came with it as his climbed onto his feet. He left the mask behind, tightening his grip around the Great Fairy's Sword as he forced himself closer to the Clock Tower. The sounds of the fireworks were completely blurred out as he moved closer and closer to the Tower, his heart pounding as his foot connected to the steps.

He had promised the Princess to wake her at this time, but he couldn't allow himself to do such a thing when he had a duty to fulfil.

_"Hey, Skull Kid, what if you gave that Mask that you're wearing back now?"_ As Link reached the very top of the Tower, too many memories hit him hard, from the cackles of Skull Kid to the ominous glowing glare of the moon itself, teeth bared in malice. He shook his head, the stars now snuffed out above him. There was nothing that he could do but steel his own courage. He has taken on such a beast before, so why did it unnerve him so much to face this being again who would have been far weakened than before due to being in such an Era of Peace?

_Because the leader of Hyrule is in danger because of it, that's why..._

The air turned cold, something extremely familiar in both Hyrule and Termina, the lights of fireworks seeming incredibly out of place in such a time. Link dropped into a battle stance, watching in shock as the shadows draped across the Tower intensified and condensed into a pool of death, doom, and destruction. He could not move from his place, frozen as he calmed his frantic emotions down. "Spirit!" He called out, raising his blade in defiance. "Release yourself from the host in which you have latched onto, and we shall leave you. If not, then I shall do so by force."

The mound of blackness did not take on the form that it had done last time, nor did it speak in the way that Link had expected to. Instead, it used the voice of none other than the Princess to speak. _"I have been lost for so long..."_ It almost lamented. _"But now I have been freed. She has freed me... please don't let me become lost again..."_ It swayed deeply, giggling softly in a way that chilled his blood. _"Such a terrible destiny. I could save you too, you know? Such a terrible, terrible, destiny..."_

"I don't need saving." Link responded sternly. "The only person who needs saving is—"

"Link!" He whirled around, finding that Zelda stood behind him with eyes glittering of sadness. Her nightgown fluttered softly in the breeze, her long hair whipping around her face. She took a step forwards, hands clasped over her heart. "You said that you would wake me... why didn't you wake me?" He tried to respond, yet the words just could not form. Her eyes flickered to the being behind her, though it seemed that she did not notice it as she moved closer. "It's so beautiful up here..."

He tried to warn her to flee, but he was far too late. As Zelda shuffled closer and closer, the demonic spirit behind him seemed to take the chance of "freedom" with both hands. It surged around the two of them and behind the Princess, wrapping itself around her. She finally reacted to the dark power, twisting and squirming with closed eyes as she battled with the darkness that was about to easily consume her. Link lunged forwards to attempt to save her, although it was feeble and did not help whatsoever. When Zelda finally reopened her eyes, they were distorted and wrong.

_"I want be be free, and I will be tonight!"_ Part of the evil spirit leaped out of her body, yet not enough to free her from its grasp, creating a column of darkness that Link could not help but wince at. _"I want to soar and go to paradise! Please let me go! I want to soar..."_ The din of the wind picked up dramatically, the telepathic connection between the two Triforce bearers wavering greatly. Link glanced down to the sword in his hand, knowing what he had to do.

"I don't want to hurt you." He called up to the vile creature, catching its attention near instantly. "Come here, and I can help you be free." The demonic spirit could have realised what ploy the Hero was trying to pull, however the prospect of being free was far too much to keep its judgement clear. The spirit leaned forwards, forcing Zelda to stumble forwards at the pace of it, and incredibly close to Link's face. Lowering his sword for a moment, he managed to unleash the power of the Triforce of Courage through the telepathic connection before his resolve became clear. "Go and soar..."

He stabbed forwards, the Great Fairy's Sword slicing straight through the spirit. The blade, once it had completed its duty, completely dissolved away into nothingness as the creature solidified and froze up. The fireworks still exploded above him, the chants of prayers and songs reflecting all across Clock Town and Termina at the outset of the Carnival of Time, unaware of what was happened atop the Tower itself. The creature, disgusting and horrid as it was, drew away from Link and high into the sky above. _"No!"_ It screeched. _"I cannot be lost again! You forced me into the maze again!"_

It relinquished its grip on the Princess, who proceeded to stagger forwards and to the ground; unconscious. Link caught her immediately, protecting her body with his own as the vile creature sent forth a wave of dark energy that almost pushed him into the same state that the Princess was. The spirit rose high into the air until it could barely be seen before a deep light, one of the Great Fairy itself, blossomed deep from within its core. The light grew in both potency and size before finally the spirit could take it no longer, erupting into a mass of colour and light – blending in with the fireworks itself.

Before any victory could be relished in, the cracks that Link had noticed across Clock Town seemed to appear all around the stage like platform of the Tower's summit, worming their way towards the two Hylians too. Not even a minute had passed before the illusion of the curse began to crack, the tiny spider web chasms joining with each other to create a land of fake images and horrible nightmares. Link held himself over the Princess's form as the mirror of illusions smashed completely, small shards of light and dark falling all around him as the telepathic connection finally failed.

_"Such a terrible, terrible, destiny..."_

* * *

><p>She had awoken like it was any other day. Blearily blinking her eyes open, the sunlight streamed into her room. Her body ached with weakness, something that was unfamiliar to her, feeling like she had not used it in a long time. However, figures soon loomed over her and forced her into full consciousness, and she came to recognise these figures to be very close friends of her. "Our Sister has awoken!" A voice cried with relief from beside her. It was from her right, or maybe her left. "The curse has been purged!"<p>

"Calm yourself, Darunia..." Another voice interjected, their tone stern yet soft at the same time. "We have not come out of the woods yet. Has anyone else received word on him yet?"

"The kid's still out of it." A voice answered from afar, apparently just entering the room. "Same as he has been for hours. He may have freed her from the curse, but he overworked his own power. I don't think that spirit is going after either of them. I don't feel any other spirits other than ours, and I am Spirit, after all." The room became alive with a hum of sounds and conversations, and Zelda pushed herself to strain her consciousness and fully awaken.

She felt extremely weak, although her body permitted her to stay awake. Her mind immediately realised that the figures around her were none other than the Sages, the ones that she was the leader of. Impa, Darunia, and Nabooru stood around her, Saria, Ruto, and Rauru (as he was locked in the Sacred Realm) not present. When they realised that Zelda was properly awake, they dropped all form of conversation and turned their attention to her. Zelda tried to move and prop herself up, yet that was where her body's limits were. "Easy, Zelda..." Nabooru whispered, helping her back down.

"What..?" She asked quietly, her voice tired. "What... happened?"

"Remnants of a spirit in the Shadow Temple escaped under my magical allowance and chose you as a host." Impa explained from her side. "You were trapped in your own mind, and nothing would be able to free you. You have been asleep for three days, even if you may think that it has been longer, and you have been drastically deteriorating ever since. We were worried that you wouldn't live to greet this morning, but that was until Link decided to use his brashness for the better and saved you before you could depart for the Spirit Realm until the next cycle of Chosen Ones. Do you remember anything? Even who you are?"

The Princess nodded. "Y-Yes. I don't remember much, but I know who you are... and who I am." She said softly, causing the three Sages to sage in pure relief. And yet, it seemed that Zelda could only close in on one thing that Impa had said. "Where's Link?" There was an awkward silence that resonated throughout the Princess's room, and Darunia was the one who decided to brave the truth for them all. After all, it was a desperate time that called for such sacrifices.

"He is alive, but once you had been freed, but he has been unconscious ever since. Now," The Sage of Fire briskly added before she could panic. "I know that you may e concerned, but I think that it is more of a draining of magic that has caused this and nothing more. We all agree, even if not all of us could make it here to help you, and we know our Brother better than to leave us on such a note. Do you not remember Ganondorf?" Zelda did, as much as her heart pained to recall the memories, and she knew exactly what Darunia was catching on to.

"Rest, Princess." Impa instructed calmly. "The Council have been worried sick about you, and hearing the good news will be music to their ears. However, what we all need now is for things to finally settle down, and what you need is rest." She nodded to Nabooru and Darunia, who disappeared in a spark of red and orange (their respective colours) before the Sage of Shadow was finally left alone with Hyrule's leader. "Please, Zelda, rest. You have been through a lot, and there is no one else in danger now. Rest..."

And while Impa's instructions were good enough for Zelda for the first few hours, the beckoning of sleep that could not be heeded soon sent Zelda into a restless fit; one that could not be quenched. So, before she could become any more restless, she had decided to sneak out of her bedroom (no longer feeling the dazed or light-headedness that she had felt before) and assured any guards that she was permitted to walk about; changed into a slightly more formal attire, though not like her usual garments. She soon, with the directions of the guards, she found her way towards the Infirmary where Link apparently was.

Closing the oak door behind her, the cool air against her skin rather comforting as she stepped inside. The memories of the curse were not as vivid as they could have been, however they seemed to perk up a little when she laid eyes upon Link. He was still asleep, as the Sages had assured her, although she had never prepared herself to see him so lifeless and quiet. He was not dying, for she would be able to sense that through their connection of Triforce pieces, though he could have been for all that it was.

She pulled up a stool to his bedside, rubbing her thumb across the back of his hand. "I could hear you when I was cursed, I think." She said softly, hoping that he could hear her as well. "But I want you to know that it shouldn't have fallen to you to save me. As the leader of the Sages, I should have used my own power to do it. But I can't thank you enough for doing that... and for being there for me in the curse. I don't think that I could have lasted without seeing someone that I knew, even if it may have made it worse."

Nothing changed.

"I think this has taught me something." She concluded, looking out of the window opposite her. "I think that we take time for granted, you knowing this the most since you have the ability to manipulate time for yourself. When certain things happen, we bargain and hope that time should be with us and not against us, but we allow ourselves to be careless. You could have given up your own time when you saved me, but you just... allowed yourself without any hesitation. I should respect you more for your abilities and kindness, not rely on them."

"You don't." Her head snapped down, noting his Link's eyes were shut though he was certainly awake. "We don't rely on each other for salvation, we rely on ourselves. Everything that we have done has been for Hyrule, or for the duty that we must fulfil, and freeing you from the curse was for both of them." His eyes finally opened, locking onto her own. "I have seen too many things happen because of time, and I couldn't let it happen again." He raises his hand, the Triforce of Courage gleaming lightly against the back of his hand.

In the distance, the cry of a spirit could be heard: one that shrieked with freedom and revenge.


End file.
